NERDY PICKS · SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING
Best Social Media Scheduling tools
Plan, write and auto-post content across social networks.
Prices checked Oct 26, 2026
Which social media scheduling tool should I start with?
If you want free, start with Buffer, Metricool, Publer. Plan, write and auto-post content across social networks. Below you'll find 30 tools with what each one does, the free plan and the cheapest solo plan in US dollars, checked Oct 26, 2026.
| Tool | What it does | Free plan | Paid from | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Simple tool to plan and schedule posts across social networks from one place. | Yes | Essentials: US$6/month, or US$5/month on a yearly plan (US$60/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Hootsuite | Long-standing social media dashboard for scheduling, replying to messages and monitoring mentions. | No | Standard: US$149/month, or US$99/month on a yearly plan (US$1,188/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Later | Visual planner for scheduling Instagram, TikTok and other posts, with a link-in-bio page. | No | Starter: US$25/month, or US$18.75/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Sprout Social | Full social media management suite for teams, with publishing, an inbox, listening and reports. | No | Essentials: US$99/month, or US$79/month on a yearly plan (US$948/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Metricool | Plans, schedules and measures social posts and ads for one or many brands. | Yes | Starter: US$25/month, or US$20/month on a yearly plan (US$240/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Publer | Low-cost scheduler with bulk uploads, post recycling and AI caption help. | Yes | Professional: US$5/month, or US$4/month on a yearly plan (US$48/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Sendible | Social media manager aimed at agencies and multi-brand teams, with approvals and client reports. | No | Core: US$35/month, or US$30/month on a yearly plan (US$360/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| SocialBee | Scheduler that sorts posts into categories and re-shares evergreen content automatically. | No | Bootstrap: US$29/month, or US$24.17/month on a yearly plan (US$290/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Loomly | Content calendar for planning, approving and publishing social posts as a team. | No | Starter: US$65/month, or US$49/month on a yearly plan (US$588/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Planable | Collaboration-first tool for drafting, previewing and approving social posts with a team or clients. | Yes | Basic: US$39/month, or US$32.50/month on a yearly plan (US$390/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Vista Social | Social media management with scheduling, an inbox, listening and review replies. | No | Professional: US$99/month, or US$80/month on a yearly plan (US$950/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Typefully | Writing-focused app for drafting and scheduling posts and threads on X, LinkedIn and other networks. | Yes | Creator: US$8.25/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Hypefury | Scheduler for creators with growth automations like auto-plugs and auto-DMs. | No | Flexible: US$6/month, or US$5/month on a yearly plan (US$60/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Tailwind | Pinterest-focused tool for creating, scheduling and optimizing Pins. | No | Pin Scheduling & Creation: US$29.99/month, or US$17.99/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Agorapulse | Social media management with a strong shared inbox, scheduling and reporting. | Yes | Standard: US$99/month, or US$79/month on a yearly plan (US$948/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Ocoya | Writes social posts with AI and schedules them across networks. | No | Starter: US$29/month, or US$24.17/month on a yearly plan (US$290/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Predis.ai | Generates ready-to-post social images, videos and ads from a short prompt, with scheduling on higher plans. | Yes | Core: US$32/month, or US$19/month on a yearly plan (US$230/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Postiz | Scheduler that AI assistants can also drive through its API, with AI image and video tools. | No | Standard: US$29/month, or US$23/month on a yearly plan (US$276/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| TryPost | Open-source scheduler with one flat price for unlimited social accounts and teammates. It posts to 13 networks, and AI assistants can run it through MCP or its API on every plan. It's free to host yourself (AGPL-3.0) if you run your own server, database and Redis. | No | Socials: US$19/month, or US$15.83/month on a yearly plan (US$190/year) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| CapCut | Free-to-start video editor with templates, captions and effects for social clips. | Yes | Pro: US$19.99/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$179.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| OpusClip | Cuts long videos into short social clips automatically, with captions. | Yes | Starter: US$15/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Kapwing | Browser-based video editor with subtitles, resizing and AI tools for social content. | Yes | Pro: US$24/month, or US$16/month on a yearly plan (US$192/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Submagic | Adds eye-catching captions, zooms and B-roll to short videos automatically. | No | Starter: US$19/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Vizard | Turns long videos into short captioned clips and can post them to social accounts. | Yes | Creator: US$29/month, or US$14.50/month on a yearly plan (US$174/year) | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Canva | Drag-and-drop design tool with templates and built-in AI image and writing tools. | Yes | Canva Pro: US$18/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Adobe Express | Template-based design app from Adobe for social posts, flyers and short videos. | Yes | Premium: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Manychat | Automates replies and sales chats in Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp. | Yes | Essential: US$17/month, or US$14/month on a yearly plan (US$168/year) | Oct 25, 2026 |
| Creatify | Makes AI video ads with avatar presenters from a product link. | Unclear | Standard: US$15/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Headliner | Turns podcast audio into shareable video clips and audiograms with captions. | Yes | Basic: US$9.99/month (promo), or US$7.99/month on a yearly plan | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Stockimg AI | Generates logos, posters and social posts, and can schedule them. | Unclear | Starter Plan: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
All 30 tools
Buffer
Simple tool to plan and schedule posts across social networks from one place.
Free plan: Yes: Free forever plan (up to 3 channels).
Paid from: Essentials: US$6/month, or US$5/month on a yearly plan (US$60/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing = 2 months free. 14-day free trial.
Cheaper or similar: Publer, Hypefury
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Hootsuite
Long-standing social media dashboard for scheduling, replying to messages and monitoring mentions.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Standard: US$149/month, or US$99/month on a yearly plan (US$1,188/year)
Discounts: Nonprofit discounts offered.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Sendible, Agorapulse
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Later
Visual planner for scheduling Instagram, TikTok and other posts, with a link-in-bio page.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$25/month, or US$18.75/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Yearly billing = 3 months free (25% off).
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Publer
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Sprout Social
Full social media management suite for teams, with publishing, an inbox, listening and reports.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Essentials: US$99/month, or US$79/month on a yearly plan (US$948/year)
Cheaper or similar: Agorapulse, Hootsuite
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Metricool
Plans, schedules and measures social posts and ads for one or many brands.
Free plan: Yes: 1 brand, up to 20 scheduled posts per month (LinkedIn and X excluded).
Paid from: Starter: US$25/month, or US$20/month on a yearly plan (US$240/year)
Discounts: Annual billing saves up to 24%.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Publer
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Publer
Low-cost scheduler with bulk uploads, post recycling and AI caption help.
Free plan: Yes: Free forever plan with 24-hour post history.
Paid from: Professional: US$5/month, or US$4/month on a yearly plan (US$48/year)
Discounts: 20% off with yearly billing. Free trials on paid plans.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Hypefury
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Sendible
Social media manager aimed at agencies and multi-brand teams, with approvals and client reports.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Core: US$35/month, or US$30/month on a yearly plan (US$360/year)
Discounts: Save 15% with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: SocialBee, Agorapulse
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Loomly
Content calendar for planning, approving and publishing social posts as a team.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$65/month, or US$49/month on a yearly plan (US$588/year)
Discounts: Save 25% with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: Planable, SocialBee
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Planable
Collaboration-first tool for drafting, previewing and approving social posts with a team or clients.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan with no time limit, no credit card required.
Paid from: Basic: US$39/month, or US$32.50/month on a yearly plan (US$390/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing = 2 months free.
Cheaper or similar: Loomly, SocialBee
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Vista Social
Social media management with scheduling, an inbox, listening and review replies.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Professional: US$99/month, or US$80/month on a yearly plan (US$950/year)
Discounts: Save 20% with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: Sendible, Agorapulse
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Typefully
Writing-focused app for drafting and scheduling posts and threads on X, LinkedIn and other networks.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan: 1 social set, 1 user, 10 posts/month.
Paid from: Creator: US$8.25/month
Cheaper or similar: Hypefury, Buffer
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Hypefury
Scheduler for creators with growth automations like auto-plugs and auto-DMs.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Flexible: US$6/month, or US$5/month on a yearly plan (US$60/year)
Cheaper or similar: Typefully, Buffer
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Tailwind
Pinterest-focused tool for creating, scheduling and optimizing Pins.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Pin Scheduling & Creation: US$29.99/month, or US$17.99/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Save 40% with annual billing; bundle saves $180/year.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Agorapulse
Social media management with a strong shared inbox, scheduling and reporting.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan after the 30-day trial (limits not detailed).
Paid from: Standard: US$99/month, or US$79/month on a yearly plan (US$948/year)
Discounts: Save $240/year on Standard with annual billing. 30-day free trial, no card.
Cheaper or similar: Sendible, Vista Social
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Ocoya
Writes social posts with AI and schedules them across networks.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$29/month, or US$24.17/month on a yearly plan (US$290/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing = 2 months free.
Cheaper or similar: Predis.ai, Publer
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Predis.ai
Generates ready-to-post social images, videos and ads from a short prompt, with scheduling on higher plans.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan available (limits not detailed).
Paid from: Core: US$32/month, or US$19/month on a yearly plan (US$230/year)
Discounts: Up to 50% off with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Ocoya, Canva
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Postiz
Scheduler that AI assistants can also drive through its API, with AI image and video tools.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Standard: US$29/month, or US$23/month on a yearly plan (US$276/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing discount.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Publer
Checked Oct 26, 2026
TryPost
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Open-source scheduler with one flat price for unlimited social accounts and teammates. It posts to 13 networks, and AI assistants can run it through MCP or its API on every plan. It's free to host yourself (AGPL-3.0) if you run your own server, database and Redis.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Socials: US$19/month, or US$15.83/month on a yearly plan (US$190/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing = 2 months free (US$190/year). For 1–3 channels, Buffer and Publer cost less.
Cheaper or similar: Buffer, Publer
Checked Oct 28, 2026
CapCut
Free-to-start video editor with templates, captions and effects for social clips.
Free plan: Yes: Free editor available; exact free limits not confirmed on the pricing page.
Paid from: Pro: US$19.99/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$179.99/year)
Discounts: none listed
Cheaper or similar: Descript, VEED
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
OpusClip
Cuts long videos into short social clips automatically, with captions.
Free plan: Yes: 60 credits/month, watermark on exports.
Paid from: Starter: US$15/month
Discounts: Save up to 50% with annual billing (Pro plan).
Cheaper or similar: CapCut
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Kapwing
Browser-based video editor with subtitles, resizing and AI tools for social content.
Free plan: Yes: 10 credits, watermark, 720p exports, 5 GB storage.
Paid from: Pro: US$24/month, or US$16/month on a yearly plan (US$192/year)
Discounts: Save 33% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: CapCut, VEED
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Submagic
Adds eye-catching captions, zooms and B-roll to short videos automatically.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$19/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing saves $84 per member on Starter.
Cheaper or similar: OpusClip, CapCut, Vizard · cheaper Submagic alternatives
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Vizard
Turns long videos into short captioned clips and can post them to social accounts.
Free plan: Yes: 60 credits/month (1 credit = 1 minute of video).
Paid from: Creator: US$29/month, or US$14.50/month on a yearly plan (US$174/year)
Discounts: 50% off with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: OpusClip, Submagic
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Canva
Drag-and-drop design tool with templates and built-in AI image and writing tools.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan: 1 Brand Kit, 5 GB storage, limited AI uses.
Paid from: Canva Pro: US$18/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing saves up to 16% on Business and a third on Pro; free trial of Pro.
Cheaper or similar: Adobe Firefly, Picsart · cheaper Canva alternatives
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Adobe Express
Template-based design app from Adobe for social posts, flyers and short videos.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan with core features and limited generative credits.
Paid from: Premium: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year)
Discounts: 30-day free trial of Premium.
Cheaper or similar: Canva, Fotor
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Manychat
Automates replies and sales chats in Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan.
Paid from: Essential: US$17/month, or US$14/month on a yearly plan (US$168/year)
Cheaper or similar: Chatfuel, Landbot
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Creatify
Makes AI video ads with avatar presenters from a product link.
Free plan: Unclear: Not shown on the page as read.
Paid from: Standard: US$15/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year)
Discounts: Save 30% on annual plan.
Cheaper or similar: HeyGen, Synthesys
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Headliner
Turns podcast audio into shareable video clips and audiograms with captions.
Free plan: Yes: Forever Free plan.
Paid from: Basic: US$9.99/month (promo), or US$7.99/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Basic shown at $9.99/month, was $14.99/month; video tools 'FREE for a limited time'; up to 50% off with annual plans. Get Pro free for 30 days with Headliner x Apple Podcasts (banner on the pricing page).
Cheaper or similar: OpusClip, Descript
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Stockimg AI
Generates logos, posters and social posts, and can schedule them.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated in what we read.
Paid from: Starter Plan: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing gives 2 months free.
Cheaper or similar: Recraft, Ideogram
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Other jobs
FAQ
What's the best free social media scheduling tool?
15 of the 30 social media scheduling tools here have a free plan, including Buffer, Metricool, Publer, Planable. Start with the one whose job description matches yours, and check the free-plan limits in each card before you commit.
What's the cheapest paid social media scheduling tool?
Of the prices we could confirm, Publer is cheapest: its Professional plan is US$5/month, or US$4/month on a yearly plan (US$48/year). Next is Buffer: its Essentials plan is US$6/month, or US$5/month on a yearly plan (US$60/year). Prices are in US dollars before tax, checked Oct 26, 2026.
How do you check these prices?
We read each tool's official pricing page (or the maker's own help pages) in US dollars before tax, and note the date. If a price isn't shown clearly, we leave it blank rather than guess.
Want to spend less? Tick the tools you pay for in the Nerdy Savings calculator.
SocialBee
Scheduler that sorts posts into categories and re-shares evergreen content automatically.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Bootstrap: US$29/month, or US$24.17/month on a yearly plan (US$290/year)
Discounts: 16% off with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: Publer, Buffer
Checked Oct 26, 2026